diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/client/fetch.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/client/fetch.ts
index 7aaa5069c2..87c31579b5 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/client/fetch.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/client/fetch.ts
@@ -175,8 +175,12 @@ export class APIRequestContext extends ChannelOwner<channels.APIRequestContextCh
       assert(options.maxRedirects === undefined || options.maxRedirects >= 0, `'maxRedirects' must be greater than or equal to '0'`);
       assert(options.maxRetries === undefined || options.maxRetries >= 0, `'maxRetries' must be greater than or equal to '0'`);
       const url = options.url !== undefined ? options.url : options.request!.url();
-      const params = mapParamsToArray(options.params);
       const method = options.method || options.request?.method();
+      let encodedParams = undefined;
+      if (typeof options.params === 'string')
+        encodedParams = options.params;
+      else if (options.params instanceof URLSearchParams)
+        encodedParams = options.params.toString();
       // Cannot call allHeaders() here as the request may be paused inside route handler.
       const headersObj = options.headers || options.request?.headers();
       const headers = headersObj ? headersObjectToArray(headersObj) : undefined;
@@ -228,7 +232,8 @@ export class APIRequestContext extends ChannelOwner<channels.APIRequestContextCh
       };
       const result = await this._channel.fetch({
         url,
-        params,
+        params: typeof options.params === 'object' ? objectToArray(options.params) : undefined,
+        encodedParams,
         method,
         headers,
         postData: postDataBuffer,
@@ -407,30 +412,6 @@ function objectToArray(map?: { [key: string]: any }): NameValue[] | undefined {
   return result;
 }
 
-function queryStringToArray(queryString: string): NameValue[] | undefined {
-  const searchParams = new URLSearchParams(queryString);
-  return searchParamsToArray(searchParams);
-}
-
-function searchParamsToArray(searchParams: URLSearchParams): NameValue[] | undefined {
-  if (searchParams.size === 0)
-    return undefined;
-
-  const result: NameValue[] = [];
-  for (const [name, value] of searchParams.entries())
-    result.push({ name, value });
-  return result;
-}
-
-function mapParamsToArray(params: FetchOptions['params']): NameValue[] | undefined {
-  if (params instanceof URLSearchParams)
-    return searchParamsToArray(params);
-  if (typeof params === 'string')
-    return queryStringToArray(params);
-
-  return objectToArray(params);
-}
-
 function isFilePayload(value: any): boolean {
   return typeof value === 'object' && value['name'] && value['mimeType'] && value['buffer'];
 }
diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/protocol/validator.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/protocol/validator.ts
index b55303810e..b67edcbca8 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/protocol/validator.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/protocol/validator.ts
@@ -176,6 +176,7 @@ scheme.APIRequestContextInitializer = tObject({
 });
 scheme.APIRequestContextFetchParams = tObject({
   url: tString,
+  encodedParams: tOptional(tString),
   params: tOptional(tArray(tType('NameValue'))),
   method: tOptional(tString),
   headers: tOptional(tArray(tType('NameValue'))),
diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/fetch.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/fetch.ts
index a4d9cd9ee2..7a6102a50d 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/fetch.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/fetch.ts
@@ -155,7 +155,9 @@ export abstract class APIRequestContext extends SdkObject {
     }
 
     const requestUrl = new URL(params.url, defaults.baseURL);
-    if (params.params) {
+    if (params.encodedParams) {
+      requestUrl.search = params.encodedParams;
+    } else if (params.params) {
       for (const { name, value } of params.params)
         requestUrl.searchParams.append(name, value);
     }
diff --git a/packages/protocol/src/channels.ts b/packages/protocol/src/channels.ts
index c2896d169e..143f1ad0e0 100644
--- a/packages/protocol/src/channels.ts
+++ b/packages/protocol/src/channels.ts
@@ -318,6 +318,7 @@ export interface APIRequestContextChannel extends APIRequestContextEventTarget,
 }
 export type APIRequestContextFetchParams = {
   url: string,
+  encodedParams?: string,
   params?: NameValue[],
   method?: string,
   headers?: NameValue[],
@@ -332,6 +333,7 @@ export type APIRequestContextFetchParams = {
   maxRetries?: number,
 };
 export type APIRequestContextFetchOptions = {
+  encodedParams?: string,
   params?: NameValue[],
   method?: string,
   headers?: NameValue[],
diff --git a/packages/protocol/src/protocol.yml b/packages/protocol/src/protocol.yml
index 212fd7d1d9..4f064ffa08 100644
--- a/packages/protocol/src/protocol.yml
+++ b/packages/protocol/src/protocol.yml
@@ -287,6 +287,7 @@ APIRequestContext:
     fetch:
       parameters:
         url: string
+        encodedParams: string?
         params:
           type: array?
           items: NameValue